The California Academy of Family Physicians Foundation announced the Susan Hogeland, CAE Health Policy Fellows for 2020. Amy Komure, MD, MPH (Long Beach Memorial RMRP), Anna Askari, MD, MSBS (Eisenhower, FMRP), and Hannah Dragomanovich (Tuoro University) will spend the next year working with CAFP leaders and staff to address advocacy, public health and policy issues.
Shelly Rodrigues, CAFP Foundation Executive Director, said, “We’re thrilled to welcome Amy, Anna and Hannah to the second Hogeland Fellow class. They have a wide array of experiences and their passion to serve via policy and advocacy is laudatory. I am in awe of the sheer volume of work they have already accomplished. Thanks to all the applicants. The future of family medicine is indeed bright.”
The Susan Hogeland, CAE Health Policy Fellowship identifies and supports promising medical students and family medicine residents committed to family medicine advocacy. Its goal is to increase the number and quality of family medicine physicians trained in health care policy at the state and federal level by awarding scholarships to deserving medical students and residents to participate in family medicine policy creation and advocacy.
The fellows gain access to the tools, insights and diversity of mentors needed to accelerate and distinguish their advocacy activities. Because pursuing a medical degree and graduating from a residency program is intense and time-consuming in and of itself, the Fellowship provides an annual stipend to support participation in activities over the course of a year. Alumni from the Fellowship carry the unique distinction of being a Susan Hogeland, CAE Health Policy Fellow, joining a tightly knit network of visionary change agents across California.
The 2019 fellows, Adia Scrubb, MD, MPP (John Muir FMRP) and Jessica Farmer (USC Keck School of Medicine), described their experiences:
“This fellowship has opened up doors to new experiences that were previously not available to me, such as testifying on behalf of a state assembly bill,” said Scrubb. “This experience has set my career on a different path than I had originally planned and I am excited for what comes next.”
Farmer stated, “since starting the fellowship I've been able to take a deeper dive into the process of policy-making and the role of strong and thoughtful advocacy work.”
Fellowships are awarded annually to medical students and family medicine resident physicians who have demonstrated their commitment to family medicine and interest in learning about and advocating for family medicine-driven health policy. The program’s stipends are intended to subsidize attendance and participation in CAFP and AAFP policy and advocacy events and activities.
The Fellowship is endowed by the CAFP Foundation to foster generations of family physicians from a wide variety of backgrounds and institutions whose leadership will inform and influence policy in California for decades to come. The Fellowship engages future family physicians in crafting comprehensive positive health policies for the betterment of family physicians and patients in California.
For more information on the fellowship, fellows or the CAFP Foundation, visit www.cafpfoundation.org.
